The present invention relates to a method of playing a variation of seven card stud poker, called xe2x80x9cNine Ball Combo Pokerxe2x80x9d.
xe2x80x9cRakexe2x80x9d style of gambling games are becoming increasingly popular in casinos. In xe2x80x9crakexe2x80x9d style gambling games, the casino assumes no risk and no money is wagered against the xe2x80x9chousexe2x80x9d. The casino merely provides a venue and game amenities (dealer, table, chips, etc) and, in return, receives a portion of the pot for every game played. Persons will not participate in xe2x80x9crakexe2x80x9d style of gambling games they are unfamiliar with, unless the rules are easy to understand. There must also be ample opportunity for wagering during the course of the game.
What is required is a method of playing a variation of seven card stud poker, which is suited for xe2x80x9crakexe2x80x9d style of gambling.
According to the present invention there is provided a method of playing a variation of seven card stud poker. A first step involves providing a venue at which not less then three players and not more than six players compete for a jackpot against each other and not against a house. The jackpot for each game may be won by the player with the highest hand (xe2x80x9chixe2x80x9d) or the player with the lowest hand (xe2x80x9cloxe2x80x9d) or it may be won and split by two players: the player with the highest hand and the player with the lowest hand (xe2x80x9chi/loxe2x80x9d). By rotation, in turn before each game, one player is given the right to choose how the jackpot will be won. Before play commences for each game, the designated player accepts a three-sided xe2x80x98chipxe2x80x99 which he rotates to indicate his xe2x80x9cdealers choicexe2x80x9d: hi, lo, or hi/lo. Play is commenced with a 54 card deck consisting of 52 regular playing cards and two wild cards. An ante is placed toward a jackpot before a player is entitled to receive any cards. A second step involves dealing a first card face up, a second card face down and a third card face down to each player and allowing each individual player to view the faces of the second card and the third card dealt to them. Each player can elect to either fold, in which case the ante is lost and the player is out of the game, or place a first bet of a predetermined amount toward the jackpot. A third step involves dealing a fourth card face up to each remaining player. Each player can elect to either fold, in which case the first bet and the ante are lost and the player is out of the game, or place a second bet of a predetermined amount toward the jackpot. A fourth step involves dealing a fifth card face up to each remaining player. Each player can elect to either fold, in which case the first bet, the second bet and the ante are lost and the player is out of the game, or place a third bet of a predetermined amount toward the jackpot. A fifth step involves dealing a sixth card face up to each remaining player. Each player can elect to either fold, in which case the first bet, the second bet, the third bet and the ante are lost and the player is out of the game, or place a fourth bet of a predetermined amount toward the jackpot. A sixth step involves dealing a seventh card face down to each remaining player and allowing each individual player to view the face of the seventh card dealt to them. Each player can elect to either fold, in which case the first bet, the second bet, the third bet, the fourth bet and the ante are lost and the player is out of the game, or place a fifth bet of a predetermined amount toward the jackpot. A seventh step involves offering each remaining player an option of discarding one card in exchange for an eighth card. The eighth card is dealt either up or down depending upon whether the card it is replacing was face up or face down. Should the eighth card be dealt down, each individual player is allowed to view the face of the eighth card dealt to them. An eighth step involves electing to either fold, in which case the first bet, the second bet, the third bet, the fourth bet, the fifth bet and the ante are lost and the player is out of the game, or place a sixth bet of a predetermined amount toward the jackpot. A ninth step involves offering each remaining player an option of discarding one card in exchange for a ninth card. The ninth card is dealt either up or down depending upon whether the card it is replacing was face up or face down. Should the ninth card be dealt down each individual player is allowed to view the face of the ninth card dealt to them. A tenth step involves electing to either fold, in which case the first bet, the second bet, the third bet, the fourth bet, the fifth bet, the sixth bet and the ante are lost and the player is out of the game, or place a seventh bet of a predetermined amount toward the jackpot. An eleventh step involves determining the winner of the jackpot based upon the determination made at the commencement of play. The winner could be the player with the highest hand, the player with the lowest hand, or the jackpot could be split between the player with the highest hand and the player with the lowest hand.
The poker variant described above is well suited for xe2x80x9crakexe2x80x9d gambling games. There are seven betting rounds, which provides ample opportunity to either bet or fold to minimize ones losses. The rules are easy to understand, for after the first round you are betting as you receive or have the option of receiving additional cards. Only a single deck of cards is used, so that the player is aware of what cards are available and can assess the relative strength or weakness of his or her cards. The two wild cards provide an additional dimension to the game. There are a maximum of six players, for if all players remain in the game to the end, all 54 cards will be given out and the deck will be exhausted. Each player is given an option of trading one of the cards for an eighth card or a ninth card. The determination as to how the jackpot is split is made prior to the game commencing. The jackpot can go to the player with the highest hand, the player with the lowest hand, or be split between the player with the highest hand and the player with the lowest hand.
Although beneficial results may be obtained through the method of play as described above, even more beneficial results may be obtained where a variant of the xe2x80x9chi/loxe2x80x9d method of determining a jackpot is used. When a player has what is known as a xe2x80x9cbicyclexe2x80x9d straight flush (ace, two, three, four and five all in the same suit), that player may elect to go xe2x80x9cpigxe2x80x9d: that is, declare both high and low hands. In this case, the player must win both ends of the game. The low game is a guaranteed win unless another player has another xe2x80x9cbicyclexe2x80x9d straight flush, in which case there is a tie and the player declaring pig loses. On the high side, the player declaring pig must further weigh his chances in that any higher hand (five of a kind, a higher straight flush etc . . . ) will defeat him, and he will also loose the jackpot. In either scenario where the player who declares pig loses, play reverts to standard hi/lo play.